At the same point in the summer of 2024, Coco Gauff was struggling. She wasn't making deep runs in tournaments, and she was losing ground in the WTA rankings. A year later, things are much different. She is still making mistakes, sure, but she is punishing opponents' mistakes even more.
Such was the case in Gauff's round-of-16 match against Lucia Bronzetti in the 2025 Cincinnati Open. The American jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first set, had a bit of a hiccup and was broken, but then Gauff erased any hope the Italian might have had.
She raced back to win the next four to take the first set 6-2. Part of the problem is that though Bronzetti was landing about 70 percent of her first serves, if she didn't land it, Gauff was winning nearly 75 percent of Bronzetti's second serves.
Coco Gauff reaches the quarterfinals of the 2025 Cincinnati Open
The second match was tighter. Gauff's play did not dip in form, but the Italian played a bit better and sharper during her service games. She faced seven break points in the first set, but just two in the second. She couldn't save any, however, and Gauff got the one break she would need to take the second set 6-4.
Coco Gauff also cut down on her double faults, something that has plagued her in matches over her career. She had just three while getting six aces. She also had 23 winners against 28 unforced errors, as she was by far the more aggressive player.
Next for the WTA No. 2 is the Cincinnati Open quarterfinals. She will play the winner of the Jasmine Paolini versus Barbora Krejčíková match. Whoever wins that definitely has the ability to press Gauff and win in Cincy.
In 2024, Gauff only reached the second round of the Cincinnati Masters. While she still trails No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka by a wide margin in the rankings, she is certainly cementing her status at No. 2.